1. November , 2016
Discipline Stakeholder Meetings: Creating College to University Transfer Pathways

2. Discipline Stakeholder Meetings Schedule
Monday
8:00 – 11:00 Social Work
11:30 – 2:30 Sociology
3:00 – 6:00 Crim. Justice: Police
Tuesday
Computer Science
Math
Economics
Wednesday
Chemistry
Nursing
Kinesiology
Thursday
Early Childhood Educ.
Elementary Education
Communication

3. What are Transfer Pathways?
Pathways from associate degrees into the top 25 – 30 majors in the system
About 2/3 of all ~12,000 bachelor’s degrees every year are awarded in those majors
Students who earn a Transfer Pathway associate degree award will enter a Minnesota State university as a junior and be able to graduate with 60 additional credits.
For example, a college will develop an associate degree in biology which will be accepted for entry into the major at any state university.

4. Background: How did we get here?
2015 legislation required Minnesota State to
“Implement new transfer pathways for associate of arts degrees, associate of science degrees, and associate of fine arts degrees toward baccalaureate degree programs…
The implementation must, to the greatest extent possible, be done in accordance with the implementation plan, including its timeline.”
The creation and implementation of transfer pathways has occurred recently in many states. Significant elements of our work have been modeled after the work done in:
California
Pennsylvania
Connecticut

5. How are the pathways being developed?
Transfer Pathway Coordinating Team
Transfer Pathway Teams
Oversight is provided by the Transfer Pathway Coordinating Team (TPCT).
This team is composed of faculty, students, staff, and administrators. The TPCT is co-chaired by one university faculty member and one college faculty member.
Each pathway is created by a Transfer Pathway Team (TPT).
Composition of team is a majority of faculty (12/20) but also includes students, staff, and administrators. Teams are co-chaired by one university faculty member and one college faculty member.

6. What is the general timeline for a tpt?
Each TPT has a semester to develop the pathway
Feedback is sought for the draft pathway via a Discipline Stakeholder Meeting and surveys
Feedback informs the final pathway
The TPCT approves the final pathway
Each college and university has a year for local work:
modifying or creating courses
approving the pathway using the template
making changes in the catalog
informing students, etc.

7. What is happening during the 2016-2017 academic year?
Campus curriculum work has begun in order to implement Spring pathways by Fall 2017
Fall 2016 TPTs are being launched and will be implemented by Fall 2018
12 disciplines
Spring TPTs are being launched and will be implemented by Fall 2018
14 disciplines spring semester
Campuses will develop plans for communicating with and advising students

8. Spring 2016: pilot transfer pathways teams
Biology
Business
Psychology
Theatre
Evaluation survey: 51 of 70 TPT members responded.
84% rated their success 4 or 5 on a 5-point scale
Website (search “MnSCU transfer pathways”) offers:
Newsletter, brochure, published pathways, videos of discipline stakeholder meetings, TPT meeting minutes

9. Fall 2016 transfer pathway teams and timeline
Chemistry
Communications, General
Computer Science
Criminal Justice, Police
Early Childhood Education – focused on the birth to third licensure
Economics
Elementary Education
Kinesiology and Exercise Science
Mathematics
Nursing
Social Work
Sociology
Fall 2016 TPTs begin development of 12 pathways September 2016
Proposed pathways presented for review at discipline stakeholder meetings November 14-17, 2016
Final Fall 2016 pathways approved for campus implementation February 15, 2017
Campus process for curriculum review and development Fall 2017
Fall 2016 pathways available for student enrollment Fall 2018

10. Transfer Pathway Implementation Plan
After each pathway is designed, campuses have a year + for implementation.
Spring 2016 pathways must be available to students in fall 2017.
All others in fall 2018.
Campus Implementation Toolkit published August 2016.
Transfer Pathways website provides additional details
Newsletter / FAQ to be updated regularly throughout the year.
Elaina

11. LESSONS LEARNED SO FAR
Identifying competencies and outcomes is a good place to start.
Identifying and linking competencies to courses and their descriptions is necessary to delineate a pathway for students.
Course competencies, titles, descriptions, and credit values are necessary, but over-specification is not good. With 30 colleges and 7 universities there will be differences.
e.g., Use credit ranges for a pathway course when you encounter common differences among colleges
Issues such as sub-fields, licensure, and accreditation are challenging, but employers and supervisory bodies have been very happy to work with us.
Having a liaison from the TPCT is helpful, but they are not experts in your discipline. They can help provide direction to the development of a pathway, not its content.
Elaina et al.?

12. College Implementation: Programs
Existing Programs
Associate of Arts Emphasis degrees will be retired when an Associate of Arts- Pathway (AA-P) in that discipline is offered
Associate of Fine Arts degrees will be retired when an Associate of Fine Arts- Pathway (AFAP) in that discipline is offered
Associate of Science (AS) degrees may be kept IF they are significantly different from the Associate of Science-Pathway (AS-P) in that discipline. When there are two AS degrees in the same field, those differences must be made clear to students
In the liberal arts and sciences many new AA-P and AS-P degrees in specific disciplines will be implemented as new programs
Julie
New Programs

13. College Implementation: Catalog Description
“Boiler Plate” Program Description
The DISCIPLINE(Minnesota State Transfer Pathway) [AA-P, AS-P, AFAP] offers students an opportunity to complete an associate degree that fully transfers to a DISCIPLINE bachelor's degree program at any one of seven universities within the Minnesota State system* that offers the major. The entire curriculum has been carefully designed to meet designated bachelor's degree program requirements for transfer students planning initial study at one of the 30 community and technical colleges of Minnesota State that offers the pathway. Students planning to transfer outside of the Minnesota State system are advised to consult with their intended transfer institution to determine transferability of the courses in this curriculum. * The Minnesota State universities are Bemidji State University; Metropolitan State University; Minnesota State University, Mankato; Minnesota State University Moorhead; St. Cloud State University; Southwest Minnesota State University; and Winona State University.

14. Julie Maxson julie.maxson@metrostate.edu
Key contacts
Transfer Pathways Coordinating Team Co-chairs
Julie Maxson
Gregg Marg
Glenn Merrick
System Office Staff
Lynda Milne, Associate Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs,
Brenda Lyseng, Transfer Pathways Project Manager,

15. Transfer Pathway Resources
Transfer Pathways Website:
Brochure
Pathways Schedule (Fall 2016 and Spring 2017)
Approved Pathways
Baccalaureate Degree Transfer Pathways: Report to the Legislature
Campus Transfer Pathways Implementation Toolkit
FAQs
Lynda, slides 23-24